Religious discrimination in Pakistan

Religious discrimination in Pakistan is a serious issue for the human rights situation in modern-day Pakistan. Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Shias, and Ahmadis among other religious minorities often face discrimination and at times are even subjected to violence. In some cases Christian churches and the worshippers themselves have been attacked. Although, there is very little record of this. Khawaja Nazimuddin, the 2nd Prime Minister of Pakistan, stated: "I do not agree that religion is a private affair of the individual nor do I agree that in an Islamic state every citizen has identical rights, no matter what his caste, creed or faith be".

One of the significant issues being faced by minority communities is the abuse of the blasphemy law. People belonging to minority religions are often falsely accused of using derogatory remarks against the Islamic prophet Muhammad, resulting in fines, lengthy prison sentences, and sometimes the death penalty. Often these accusations are made to settle personal vendettas and, due to the bias against minorities, victims are often immediately presumed guilty without any substantive evidence.

In 2011 religious intolerance was reported to be at its height, hundreds of minorities, women, journalists and liberals were being killed by Islamist fundamentalist extremists, while the Government remained mostly a silent spectator, often only making statements which condemned the ruthless acts of violence by the extremists but taking no real concrete action against them.

Progress on religious freedom is being made gradually as Pakistan transitions to democracy from Zia's legacy, in 2016 Sindh with Pakistan's largest Hindu minority passed a bill that outlawed forced conversions. However, the bill was never ratified by the Governor. The bill was tabled by a faction of the Pakistan Muslim League which in Sindh is led by Sufi leader Pir Pagara, called PML-F, Pakistan Muslim League functional. In 2014, NGOs estimated that around 1000 girls from minority groups every year are being forcibly converted to Islam. In November 2019, a parliamentary committee was formed to prevent act of forced conversion in Pakistan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, reports emerged that rations were being denied to minority Hindus and Christians in the coastal areas of Karachi. The Saylani Welfare Trust, carrying out the relief work, said that the aid was reserved for Muslims alone. On 14 April, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern with the discrimination. Other organisations, including Edhi Foundation, JDC Welfare Organization and Jamaat-e-Islami are reported to have stepped forward to provide relief to the minorities.

In 2022, Freedom House rated Pakistan's religious freedom as 1 out of 4, noting that the blasphemy laws are often exploited by religious vigilantes and also curtail the freedom of expression by Christians and Muslims, especially Ahmadis. Hindus have spoken of vulnerability to kidnapping and forced conversions.

Demographics

According to 1951 census, non-Muslims constituted 14.20% of Pakistan's (West Pakistan and East Pakistan) total population. In West Pakistan (now Pakistan), the non-Muslims constituted 3.44% of the total population while East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) had a significant share comprising 23.20% of the population therein.

One reason for low non-Muslim percentage is because of higher birth rates among the Muslims. Another reason was due to constant migration of India and Pakistan's respective minorities after the partition of India in 1947. However, the main reason as to why the population of minorities declined was due to the separation of East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) which constituted almost 18% of Pakistan's Hindu population according to the 1961 Pakistani census. After the independence of Bangladesh, all minorities (mostly Hindus) that lived in the former East Pakistan were no longer counted in the census as they were officially Bangladeshis, and not Pakistanis. Due to the fact that Hindus made up the large bulk of the minority population, the percentage of Pakistan's minorities plummeted. Religious minority groups in Pakistan feel the effects of this legal and political marginalization and disenfranchisement in their daily lives.

In the 1951 census, West Pakistan had 1.6% Hindu population, while East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh) had 22.05%. By 1997, the percentage of Hindus remained stable at 1.6% in Pakistan,Census of Pakistan
while in Bangladesh, it had dropped to 9.2% by 2011, with non-Muslims accounting for 10.2% of the population.

According to 1951 census, Non-Muslims constituted 14.20% of Pakistan's (West Pakistan and East Pakistan) total population. In the West Pakistan (now Pakistan), the Non-Muslims constituted 3.44% of the total population while East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) had a significant share comprising 23.20 percent of the population therein.

Much of the decrease in minorities of Pakistan has occurred due to the events around the partition of India, the wars of 1965 and 1971. It has been attributed to reasons like communal violence and discrimination that minority communities face. In the 1941 census of India, areas of modern Pakistan had a population of 5.9 million Non-Muslims. After the Partition of India, about 5 million Hindus and Sikhs left the country.

It is estimated that 95% of Pakistanis are Muslims (75-95% Sunni, 5-20% Shia).

The Ahmadiyya have faced greater persecution since 1974 after being declared "non Muslims" over allegations that they do not recognize Muhammad as the last prophet.

In addition, there have been many cases of religious persecution in of Hindus in the nation. Among these, the most recent include 19-year-old Hindu girl Rinkle Kumari from Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district, Sindh province who was abducted by a gang and "forced" to convert to Islam, before being head shaved.

Another recent case was the gunning down of four Hindu doctors in Chak town, Shikarpur sparking fears and panic among the minority community.

Religious Indoctrination through Education

During the partition of India, India was divided on religious lines based on the theory of two-nation, which subscribes that Hindus and Muslims were two different nations within India and thus cannot live together due to their difference. The bloodshed during the partition, coupled with three major wars with India and other skirmishes, ultimately support the national policy for the Islamization of the state and the principle of the two-nation theory, wherein the trifecta of Muslims, Islam and Pakistan cannot be challenged. This anti-India view coupled with religious teaching against the Kafir (Non-believer in Islam) Hindus became the primary reasons for discrimination against the Hindus. Indophobia, together with Anti-Hinduism and racist ideologies, such as the martial race theory, were the driving factors behind the re-writing of school textbooks in Pakistan (in both "secular" schools and Islamic madrassahs) in order to promote a biased and revisionist historiography of the Indian subcontinent that promulgated Indophobic and anti-Hindu prejudices. These narratives are combined with Islamist propaganda in the extensive revising of Pakistan's history. By propagating concepts such as jihad, the inferiority of non-Muslims, India's perceived ingrained enmity with Pakistan, etc., the textbook board publications used by all government schools promote an obscurantist mindset.
During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the Indian government decided to support the creation of a separate state for ethnic Bengalis resulting in a war between India and Pakistan. During the war, the government of Pakistan began a nation-wide propaganda against India (by extension against Hindus) and with the Independence of Bangladesh and surrender of Pakistani forces to the Indian side, the government continued the propaganda.

In 1971, textbook reform in Pakistan began with the introduction of Pakistan Studies and Islamic studies by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto into the national curriculum as compulsory subject. Former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq under a general drive towards Islamization, started the process of historical revisionism in earnest and exploited this initiative. "The Pakistani establishment taught their children right from the beginning that this state was built on the basis of religion – that's why they don't have tolerance for other religions and want to wipe-out all of them."

In 1976, an act of parliament required all government and private schools (except those teaching the British O-levels from Grade 9) to follow a curriculum that includes learning outcomes for the federally approved Grade 5 social studies class such as: "Acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan", "Make speeches on Jihad", "Collect pictures of policemen, soldiers, and national guards" and "India's evil designs against Pakistan".

From 1977 to 1988, during the rule under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, a program was initiated for the Islamization of Pakistan, under which the Madrassass (traditional religious schools) in Pakistan received state sponsorship for the first time decimating educational institutions based on religious grounds. The number of madrassas number grew from 893 to 2,801 during the Zia years according to one source. Another states that 12,000 were opened from 1983 to 1984. Most were Deobandi in doctrinal orientation, while one quarter of them were Barelvi. They received funding from Zakat councils and provided free religious training, room and board to impoverished Pakistanis. The schools, which banned televisions and radios, have been criticized by authors for stoking sectarian hatred both between Muslim sects and against non-Muslims. The military government of Zia explicitly favored Deobandi madrassas which were promoting more scripturalist interpretation of Islam that could justify jihad. In line with this multifaceted strategy of Pakistan, Barelvis, the majority of the country's population, control only 25% of madrassas, while Deobandis, who make up approximately 15% of the population, disproportionately run 60% of the country's madrassas. The unprecedented increase in the number of madrassas after the downfall of the Zia regime proves that subsequent Pakistani governments, likewise Zia, have been mindful of the benefits that could accrue from supporting and controlling madrassas.

In the early 1990s, Mujahideen introduced military training into the madrassa curriculum in Peshawar, Pakistan, in order to provide a new generation of "holy warriors". In the eyes of Pakistani politicians and policymakers, what was perceived as the Mujahideen's triumph over the Soviets in Afghanistan, could be also replicated in Indian Administered J&K thus the Government of Pakistan supported and aided the terrorist activities. Furthermore, the ISI agency of Pakistan decided to push aside some educational institutions belonging to moderate political groups and backed more extreme ones affiliated to Islamist proxy forces such as Hizbul Mujahideen, JeM, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen and LeT. The confession of an arrested member of LeT in 2002 showed that he was politically motivated and religiously justified to pick up weapons and kill the kaffirs (non-believers of Islam) of India during the school assemblies. Through the course of moral exclusion, which Abu Masood implemented, adolescents are trained to situate the dehumanized targets into the category of "''the others"'', establishing them as potential enemies who deserve to be killed Qari Hussain, a Taliban commander who has been given the name of ''“Trainer of Suicide Bombers”'' confirms that radicalization takes place in madrassas and argues that “''Children are tools to achieve God's will. And whatever comes your way, you sacrifice it.” ''

After 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 9/11 Commission pointed out to Pakistan that almost all of the 9/11 attackers spent some time in Pakistan and traveled the north-south nexus of Kandahar-Quetta-Karachi and stressed that the Pakistani madrassas were being used "as incubators of violent extremism". This brought the Pakistani Madrassas system in international attention. In 2003 President Musharraf stated during a televised show that they must finish off religious extremism and that they must not use the mosques to spread hatred. In January 2005, Musharraf stated that the use of mosques and seminaries as producers of hate and extremism must be stopped. And few months later in August 2005, President Musharraf announced that they would not let any madrassa harbor terrorists or teach extremism and militancy. But the hearing before the Subcommittee on National Security & Foreign Affairs in 2007 stated that the President Musharraf has made efforts to "take on the threat of extremism but has not shut down extremist-linked madrassas or terrorist camps. Taliban forces still pass freely across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and
operate in Pakistani tribal areas".

A madrassa was blasted away in 2009 when the explosive took off during the preparation. The bomb was being stored in the home of the madrassa teacher who was a member of a banned terrorist group. 16 were killed including children, and over 120 were injured in this incident.

In 2009, Pakistan introduced the National Education Policy has created three different parallel educational institutions: private schools, public schools and madrassas. Private schools would have more secular-oriented curricula with special emphasis on neutral sciences, while the madrassas would choose Islamic jurisprudence, theology and strict interpretation of Islam over skill-oriented syllabi and in the middle of this contradictory spectrum there are state-run schools, also known as the so-called public educational sector, which provide mix-educational curricula. The idea was that the private and public-school would help in preparing students to be law-abiding democratic citizens and providing them with more secular or neutral education, are less likely to produce students sympathetic to terrorism.'''' But despite that students from private and public schools have been given the opportunity to learn secular disciplines such as mathematics and sciences, the promotion of religious violence was not confined only to the ideological sections of the curriculum, but instead the systemic fusion of violence and hatred can be traced which travelled to different subjects and textbooks.'''' The following quote from a fourth-grade textbook of a public school stands as an example:

''“The speed of a Kalashnikov bullet is 800 meters per second. If a Russian is at the distance of 3,200 meters from a mujahid ighter and the mujahid aims at the Russian's head, calculate how many seconds it will take for the bullet to strike the Russian...”'' ''''

Islamic Studies textbook for an eighth-grade student, approved by the federal government, teaches students that they must be prepared “to sacrifice every precious thing, including life, for jihad.” At present, jihad is continuing in different parts of the world,” the chapter continues. “Numerous mujahedin oly warriorsof Islam are involved in defending their religion, and independence, and to help their oppressed brothers across the world.”
The textbook further teaches the adolescent students that Muslims are allowed to “take up arms” and wage jihad in self-defense or if they are prevented from practicing their religion. “When God's people are forced to become slaves of man-made laws, they are hindered from practicing the religion of their God,” the textbook says.“When all the legal ways in this regard are closed, then power should be used to eliminate the evil." The book further teaches the eighth-grade students that “If Muslims are being oppressed, “then jihad is necessary to free them from this cruel oppression.” The following quote is from the same eighth grade federally approved textbook stands as an example:

''“Jihad” can mean peaceful struggle as well as holy war. Jihad can be waged on several levels, beginning with a peaceful, inner struggle for one's own soul and escalating to killing “infidels.''”

Pakistani textbooks depict non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan in a biased manner, often characterizing Pakistani Christians as representatives of Western or British colonial powers and Pakistani Hindus as minorities within the Muslim-majority population with affiliations to India. This portrayal fosters hostility and animosity. These history books are contaminating and indoctrinating the minds of the youth with a deliberate propagation of false narratives and rigid ideologies. Pakistani historian Khursheed Kamal Aziz has criticized Pakistani history textbooks. He stated that textbooks were full of historical errors and suggested that mandatory study amounted to teaching "prescribed myths". After examining 66 textbooks used at various levels of study Aziz argued that the textbooks supported military rule in Pakistan, promoted hatred for Hindus, glorified wars, and distorted the pre-1947 history of Pakistan
In April 2010, Rana Sanaullah Khan, former Law Minister of Punjab, visited a madrassa operated by the banned extremist organization Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Jamaat-ud-Dawa, another terrorist group, received nearly one million dollars from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in Punjab for its allegedly educational programs.

In 2011 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report on the public schools and Madrassas in Pakistan. They found a strong correlation between Pakistani and Islamic identity, considering the religious make-up and strength of Islamic practice in the country. Further they stated that the attitudes toward religious minorities were clear expressions of bigotry, ignorance, and hostility. The report concluded that the in government sponsored public schools, Hindu children are forced to read lessons about "Hindu conspiracies towards Muslims" and Christian children are taught that "Christian learned tolerance and kind-heartedness from Muslims". Further, report stated that a public shaming of religious minority children that begins at a very young age, focusing on their religious and cultural identity and their communities’ past history. The public-school students are being taught that religious minorities, especially Christians and Hindus, are nefarious, violent, & tyrannical by nature.

The study concluded:

* Public school textbooks used by all children often had a strong Islamic orientation,
* Public school and madrassa teachers had limited awareness or understanding of religious minorities and their beliefs, and were divided on whether religious minorities were citizens;
* Teachers often expressed very negative views about Ahmadis, Christians, and Jews, and successfully transmitted these biases to their students;
* Interviewees' expressions of tolerance often were intermixed with neutral and intolerant comments, leaving some room for improvement.
Further the report mentions many instances where young Pakistani students are taught to religiously discriminate against minorities from a young age. The report mentions that a federally approved Urdu Textbook teaches grade 10 students that "the Islamic religion, culture and social system are different from non-Muslims; therefore, it is impossible for them to cooperate with Hindus.”

The 2019 report on Religious Minorities in Pakistan compiled by Members of the European Parliament found: "The curriculum in Pakistani schools includes compulsory reading of Qu’ ran, the ideology of Pakistan based on the Islam, the Jihad and Shahadat path. The textbooks in schools extend the intolerance with systematic negative portrayals of minorities, especially Hindus. While teachings avoid denoting the contribution of religious minorities to the cultural, military and civic life of Pakistan, anti-Islamic forces are declared to endanger its very existence. By historic revisionism and unsubstantiated claims which convey religious bias, the Islamic civilization is glorified while religious minorities are denigrated."

According to Pakistani professor Tariq Rahman, Pakistani textbooks cannot mention Hindus without calling them cunning, scheming, deceptive, or something equally insulting. The textbooks ignore the pre-Islamic history of Pakistan except to put the Hindu predecessors in a negative light. The educational materials used in Pakistani schools contribute to the promotion of prejudice and intolerance towards Hindus and other religious minorities. Moreover, a significant number of teachers perceive non-Muslims as "enemies of Islam".

Examples of Promotion of Religious discrimination through Education

The following excerpts showcase the discriminatory and agitative nature of Pakistani school textbooks:

* The Class III (ages 7–8) book (Punjab Textbook Board) on Urdu teaches that Islam is superior to all other religions.
* The Class VII (ages 11–12) book (Sindh Textbook Board) on Islamic Studies reads: "Most of the therreligions of the world claim equality, but they never act on it."
* The Class VIII (ages 12–13) book (Punjab Textbook Board) on Islamic Studies reads: "Honesty for non-Muslims is merely a business strategy, while for Muslims it is a matter of faith."
* The Class V (ages 9–10) book (Punjab Board) on Social Studies says: "Religion plays a very important role in promoting national harmony. If the entire population believes in one religion, then it encourages nationalism and promotes national harmony."
* The Class VI book (Punjab Board) on Islamic Studies says: "Though being a student, you cannot practically participate in jihad, but you may provide financial support for jihad."
* The Class IV (ages 8–9) book (Punjab Board) on Urdu says: "The better a Muslim we become, the better a citizen we prove to be."

Constitutional & Other Legal Discriminations against Religious Minorities

Constitution of Pakistan

While the struggle for the Independence of Pakistan was going on, Jinnah had unequivocally said that Pakistan would be a secular state. But late the Objectives Resolution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on March 12, 1949 which proclaimed that the future constitution of Pakistan would not be modeled entirely on a European pattern, but on the ideology and democratic faith of Islam. The resolution, in its entirety, has been made part of the Constitution of Pakistan under Article 2(A). This followed a judicial tussle to declare the Objectives Resolution as the "grundnorm" for Pakistan and, therefore, impliedly held that it stands above even the Interim Constitution or any Constitution that may be framed in the future, bring Article 2A as a major part of Constitutional debate. Though the debate was definitively resolved by the Supreme Court in the Hakim Khan case stating that Article 2A is neither self-executory nor has a supra-constitutional status.

Tolerance for religious discrimination can be found in the Constitution of Pakistan. Islam is named as the religion of the state, and whilst there is a provision allowing for minorities to practice their religions, they are still subject to the principles of "democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam".

The Preamble of the Constitution of Pakistan reads "Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities freely to profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures" but after the coup of 1977 under General Zia-ul-Haq initiated the Islamization in Pakistan and the word “freely” was deleted from the Preamble and Article 2A that carried the original Objectives Resolution. It was later reinserted under the 18th Amendment.

Though the constitution recognizes the universal fundamental right of freedom of religion, it is subjected to a rider at the beginning of Article 20, namely “Subject to law, public order and morality”. This exception intended merely to protect public order in exceptional cases, has damaged the rule of freedom of religion in Pakistan.

Other provisions that are outrightly discriminatory are -

Article 41(2) provides that only Muslims can become President and the Prime Minister, thereby denying minorities the chance to hold the highest position of power. The Third Schedule to the constitution, which contains the text of the oath to be taken by the President before entering upon the said office, specifically provides, in relevant part, that the candidate shall affirm that he is a Muslim and believes in the Oneness of Allah, the Quran, and that Muhammad was the last of the prophets of Allah. Initially, there was no such bar of religion against the election of the Prime Minister. Article 91, in the original 1973 Constitution was substituted by P.O. No. 14 of 1985, providing that, “after the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the National Assembly shall, to the exclusion of any other business, proceeds to elect without debate one of its Muslim members to be the Prime Minister”, thus debarring the non-Muslims. In 2019, Naveed Amir, a Christian member of the National Assembly moved a bill to amend the article 41 and 91 of the Constitution which would allow non-Muslims to become Prime Minister and President of Pakistan. However, Pakistan's parliament blocked the bill. Furthermore, in Shahid Orakzai case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan held that "the legislature may in its domain subject to the Constitution and the principle of equality before law and equal treatment before law can make a law that a non-Muslim citizen cannot be appointed against a particular post".

Article 227(1) states that "All existing laws shall be brought in conformity with the Injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, in this part referred to as the Injunctions of Islam, and no law shall be enacted which is repugnant to such Injunctions."

Article 228 provides the way for setting up of the Islamic Council, created to safeguard Islamic ideology. The Islamic Council can shape governmental decisions, actions and policy, which creates an institutionalized priority for Islamic ideas to the detriment of religious minorities.

Article 260(3) provides the legal definition between a Muslim and a non-Muslim. The articles define “Muslim” as "a person who believes in the unity and oneness of Almighty Allah" while define "non-Muslim" as "a person who is not a Muslim and includes a person belonging to the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist or Parsi community, a person of the Quadiani Group or the Lahori Group who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name or a Bahai, and a person belonging to any of the Scheduled Castes."

Ninth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan

The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan would have imposed sharia law as the supreme law of the land by amending Article 2, 203B and 203D of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The Senate passed the bill and sent it to the National Assembly on 7 August 1986. Wasim Sajjad, the Minister for Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, referred the bill to committee. The committee was supposed to submit a report regarding the proposed amendment within 30 days but before the report could be presented, the National Assembly was dissolved and the bill lapsed.

Hudud Ordinance

The Hudud Ordinances are laws in Pakistan enacted in 1979 as part of the Islamization of Pakistan by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan. The Hudood Law was intended to implement Shari'a law or bring Pakistani law into "conformity with the injunctions of Islam", by enforcing punishments mentioned in the Quran and sunnah for ''zina'' (extramarital sex), ''qazf'' (false accusation of ''zina''), theft, and consumption of alcohol. The system provided for two kinds of offences — ''hadd'' and ''tazir'' — with different punishments to go with them. '' Hadd'' offences (fixed punishment) require a higher standard of proof than ''tazir